Management Team

CMI Ship Management Executive Leadership

Cruise Management International is led by a team of seasoned executives, boasting decades of experience in the cruise industry. They help our owners chart a course for success with extensive expertise.

Jim Barreiro de León

President & CEO

Jim joined CMI on May 1, 2017 and is a hands-on, yet pragmatic leader, intimately involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and its ships. Jim began his career in the maritime industry in 1986. After several years working onboard ships, in 1995 he took a position with V. Group as Managing Director for its V. Ships Leisure division. Jim dedicated 21 years at V. Ships managing its passenger fleet with the overall responsibility for the technical, marine and hotel operations focusing on the cruise, ferry, expedition and river cruising segments. His added responsibilities as Director of Business Development for V. Group allowed him to be part of the V. Group expansion efforts during the last 5 years. He is proficient in designing turnkey, total ship management solutions, while optimizing all aspects of the shore-side and shipboard operations. Jim has proven to be a maritime visionary, a team builder and a catalyst, with the ability to address the ever-changing challenges of our industry. He is driven by constantly improving customer service standards and therefore never loses sight of the individual needs of ship owners and operators. He is a native of the Canary Islands, Spain, but educated in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Emmanouil (Manolis) Vlahos

Senior Vice President Technical Operations

Manolis joined ISP in 2000 after having worked with Celebrity Cruises and Premier Cruise Lines. He served as Chief Engineer aboard several passenger vessels (diesel & steam driven) operating around the world, before transferring to the shore side in 1989. Manolis enjoys numerous years of experience and knowledge as a Superintendent Engineer responsible for all major areas in the technical management of vessels.

Manolis, originally from Greece, earned his degree in Marine Engineering Science from the Marine Akademy of Aspropyrgos, and his Chief Engineer's license from Kesen.

Scott Will

Vice President Port Operations/Vessel Logistics

Scott has over twenty-five years of experience in passenger vessel operations; his maritime career having always been in the passenger sector of the industry. He obtained his USCG Masters license and was promoted to Captain at the young age of 29. While shipboard, Scott was the go-to person for vessel dry dockings, preparation for Port State Control inspections and vessel annual certification renewals.

Scott transitioned his shipboard experience to a shore-side position with Clipper Cruise Line, where his responsibilities included recruiting officers and crew, coordinating crew rotations and training, port operations management and itinerary development. As Director of Marine Operations for Clipper Cruise Line, Scott was responsible for marine related activities for US and foreign flagged passenger ships, with additional responsibilities for marine and technical purchasing.

Having been involved in all areas of Marine Management onboard and ashore, Scott brings a deep understanding of the relationships required between Charters, Owners, Class Societies, and Flag States. This experience in all aspects of passenger ship operations sets him and Cruise Management International apart from any other company in the industry.

William Cologne

Vice President Finance

As Vice President Finance of the company, Bill heads up all finance and accounting processes for Cruise Management International and its clients.

Bill’s accounting career began in 1994 as Internal Auditor for a major multi-line insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut where he planned and executed internal control audits in the Life, Property & Casualty, and Health divisions of Aetna, Inc. From there Bill moved on to Hartford Life in Simsbury, Connecticut where he planned and executed audits in the International, Employee Benefits, Asset Management and Individual Life & Annuity Divisions. He also served as a liaison and coordinator to the audit managers in Brazil, Spain, and Argentina. He performed assessments of the internal control environment of their foreign operations in Spain, Uruguay and various entities in Argentina. Bill also performed reviews of computer systems under development during his tenure at the Company.

The following years saw Bill move on to American Standard where he progressed to Audit Manager and was tapped as interim General Auditor of the company for a brief period before moving to their subsidiary Trane in Miami as Assistant Controller. His career at Trane progressed through several levels and Bill held the position of Assistant Controller of Trane Latin America for one year, Territory Controller of Trane Latin America for five years, and Compliance Leader for two years.

For the last six years, Bill has worked for KARL STORZ in Miami as the Finance and Operations Manager where he gained further skills in managing the daily operations of a business in addition to the finance and accounting responsibilities. Bill managed the local business as General Manager for six months when the former GM departed, and Bill thus gained further skills in managing the sales force and marketing department.

Bill comes to Cruise Management International Inc. with a broad background from large, diverse, public and private multinational companies across several industries. He enjoys hands-on experience within all areas of finance and accounting and has a strong internal control background with a major focus on process optimization as well as having skills in managing operations, sales force and marketing functions. Bill has been with Cruise Management International Inc. since its October 2018.

Christian Lund

Vice President Finance

As Vice President Finance of the company, Christian heads up all finance and accounting processes for Cruise Management International and its clients.

Christian’s accounting career began in 2003 as a Finance Trainee in Novozymes, a Danish biotech company and one of the most traded companies on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. After three years with Novozymes, he took on a key role in a Europe-wide SAP implementation in RS Components, a top-200 company on the London Stock Exchange. Following a successful implementation of SAP in the three Scandinavian subsidiaries of the group, he took a permanent role as a financial analyst with the company. He was involved in defining the company’s Key Performance Indicators, optimizing strategic management systems, measuring sales performance, and performing monthly closings.

In 2008 Christian joined the accounting team of International Shipping Partners Inc. (ISP) in Miami. In early 2011, he was made Director Finance and has held senior positions at passenger vessel management companies ever since. Christian played a key role in the sale of ISP to a German private equity group in 2012, after which he stayed with the company (later renamed to FleetPro Ocean Inc.) as VP Finance.

Christian comes to Cruise Management International Inc. with a broad background from large, diverse, and multinational companies across several industries. He enjoys hands-on experience within all areas of finance and accounting, and has always had a strong focus on systems and process optimization. Christian has been with Cruise Management International Inc. since its incorporation in the summer of 2015.

Chris Dlugokecki

Vice President Quality & Administration

Chris has been in the marine industry for over 24 years, graduating from Webb Institute of Naval Architecture in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Chris’ professional experiences and strong managerial skills, coupled with his educational background, enable him to provide expertise in a number of areas: new construction, re-fit & repair, project management, technical/operational management of marine assets, and strategic business development.

Chris’ experience also extends to regulatory compliance and classification, having held management positions with both Lloyd’s Register and RINA (the Italian Classification Society). At RINA, he served as Manager for North & Central America and the Caribbean, where he was responsible for the commercial and technical operations for RINA’s marine classification and management system certification business.

Mario Penniello

Fleet Technical Director

Mario Penniello spent last 33 years in the maritime industry. After completing his marine engineering school at the Istituto Tecnico Nautico Statale in Torre del Greco, Italy, he started his career as engine cadet and worked all the way up to Chief Engineer obtaining his full Chief license in 1992. He built his experience between cargo vessels for the first 4 years of his career and moved over to passenger vessels in 1989 joining the M/S Achille Lauro with “Starlauro S.P.A”. He then joined V.Ships where spent most of his career and promoted to Chief Engineer at the age of 31.

Mario brought his shipboard experience to shore side joining V.Ships Leisure in Miami in 2011 covering all the aspects for all technical areas and operation for passenger vessels. Creating and maintenance vessel budget, particularly care and involvement in compliance with IMO/SOLAS requirements and all new implementation of adjournments, planning maintenance of all Ship’s equipment in compliance with international safety regulations.

Mario joined Cruise Management International team in June 2017 as Fleet Technical Director.

Kelly Gordon

Marine Compliance Director

Kelly Gordon retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2007 after over 27 years of service. He enjoyed various technical assignments, most notably 11 years as a Senior USCG Hull and Machinery Inspector in the Merchant Marine Safety Program. Since his days with the Coast Guard, Kelly has worked in the marine industry serving in positions such as Safety & Quality Superintendent, Marine Manager, and Compliance Director. He is directly involved with the implementation and auditing of ISM, ISPS and environmental management systems; conducting company investigations following flag or port state detentions; compliance and material inspection; preparing ships for arrival into US ports and readying them for U.S. Coast Guard Inspections, and conducting pre-purchase / on-hire condition vessel surveys.

Ramon Dalagan

Marine Compliance Director

Ramon Dalagan boasts more than 30 years of experience in the marine industry. He began his career shortly after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Transportation from the prestigious Mindanao Aeronautical School in the Philippines. He has served in capacities from Cadet to Captain aboard various vessels. In 2012, Ramon accepted a position in Port Marine Operation at Temis Shipping & Surveying, based in Miami, Florida, where he was assigned as a PSC Consultant to the Minister of the Environment in Angola. This would eventually lead to a position as Quality Assurance Manager with FleetPro in 2013. In his spare time, Ramon also managed to earn a Master’s Degree in Maritime Education (MME) from John B. Lacson Maritime University in the Philippines, and served as a Maritime Professor and a member of the Assessors and Independent ISM/ISPS Auditors.